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7 Estonian startups to be reckoned with

Estonia's startup scene punches above its weight, despite, or because of, its tiny population of 1.4 million. Here's a look at seven noteworthy Estonian ventures — from delivery robots to an AI-powered language app.

Where founders get funding

Described as a "blockchain-based 'stock exchange' for startups," four-year-old Funderbeam was named best European fintech company this year. The startup is headquartered in Tallinn's Telliskivi Creative City, which is also home to a number of other well-known ventures like language app Lingvist as well as co-working spaces including Lift99.

Scientist turned linguist

You could call Mait Müntel the quintessential entrepreneur: While the Estonian was working as a particle physicist at CERN in Switzerland, he had the idea to use the same machine learning algorithms he used to find the Higgs boson to teach himself French. The rest, as they say, is history: Müntel now leads a team of 40 developing AI-powered language learning app Lingvist.

Startup wall of fame

Many attribute Estonia's outsized startup success to Skype, the video chat software Microsoft acquired in 2011 for $8.5 billion. The founders not only went on to launch TransferWise, Starship Technologies and other startups, they also inspired a whole generation of founders, often collectively referred to as Estonian Mafia. With 31 startups per 100,000 inhabitants, Estonia places third in Europe.

Contemporary tech with vintage appeal

e-Drive Retro turns fossil fuel-powered oldtimers into fully equipped electric vehicles. EVs are the fastest-growing segment of the multi-billion global luxury car market. US-American founder Michael M. Richardson was one of the first foreigners to join the e-residency program, a digital ID launched in 2014 that allows non-Estonians to run a business in the EU from anywhere in the world.

Universal boarding pass

Is this the future of urban mass transit? With mobile ticketing app Jiffi, commuters travel cashless and hands-free. Upon boarding a bus, tram, metro or ferry, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) sensors detect the app; Upon exit, the app selects the best fare and bills automatically. For now, Jiffi is in a testing phase with a group of 70 people on public buses in Tartu, Estonia's second-largest city.

You eat what you grow

Inspired by an article about how austronauts grow food during space missions, Estonian-born Mattias Lepp brought the space tech down to earth to help city dwellers and other earthlings grow their own vegetables, herbs and plants. Since its inception in 2010, Click & Grow has sold over 350,000 indoor gardens and farms. The latter are bigger, standalone units that can grow up to 51 plants at once.

The miracle battery?

Can this startup deliver the quantum leap in battery power the world has been waiting for? Skeleton Technologies believes so, calling itself the "global leader in energy-storage systems and graphene-based supercapacitors," which have high power density, almost instant recharging and very long lifetimes. The European Space Agency supplier does its manufacturing in Germany and its R&D in Tallinn.

Where founders get funding

Described as a "blockchain-based 'stock exchange' for startups," four-year-old Funderbeam was named best European fintech company this year. The startup is headquartered in Tallinn's Telliskivi Creative City, which is also home to a number of other well-known ventures like language app Lingvist as well as co-working spaces including Lift99.

Scientist turned linguist

You could call Mait Müntel the quintessential entrepreneur: While the Estonian was working as a particle physicist at CERN in Switzerland, he had the idea to use the same machine learning algorithms he used to find the Higgs boson to teach himself French. The rest, as they say, is history: Müntel now leads a team of 40 developing AI-powered language learning app Lingvist.

Startup wall of fame

Many attribute Estonia's outsized startup success to Skype, the video chat software Microsoft acquired in 2011 for $8.5 billion. The founders not only went on to launch TransferWise, Starship Technologies and other startups, they also inspired a whole generation of founders, often collectively referred to as Estonian Mafia. With 31 startups per 100,000 inhabitants, Estonia places third in Europe.

Contemporary tech with vintage appeal

e-Drive Retro turns fossil fuel-powered oldtimers into fully equipped electric vehicles. EVs are the fastest-growing segment of the multi-billion global luxury car market. US-American founder Michael M. Richardson was one of the first foreigners to join the e-residency program, a digital ID launched in 2014 that allows non-Estonians to run a business in the EU from anywhere in the world.

Universal boarding pass

Is this the future of urban mass transit? With mobile ticketing app Jiffi, commuters travel cashless and hands-free. Upon boarding a bus, tram, metro or ferry, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) sensors detect the app; Upon exit, the app selects the best fare and bills automatically. For now, Jiffi is in a testing phase with a group of 70 people on public buses in Tartu, Estonia's second-largest city.

You eat what you grow

Inspired by an article about how austronauts grow food during space missions, Estonian-born Mattias Lepp brought the space tech down to earth to help city dwellers and other earthlings grow their own vegetables, herbs and plants. Since its inception in 2010, Click & Grow has sold over 350,000 indoor gardens and farms. The latter are bigger, standalone units that can grow up to 51 plants at once.

The miracle battery?

Can this startup deliver the quantum leap in battery power the world has been waiting for? Skeleton Technologies believes so, calling itself the "global leader in energy-storage systems and graphene-based supercapacitors," which have high power density, almost instant recharging and very long lifetimes. The European Space Agency supplier does its manufacturing in Germany and its R&D in Tallinn.